Two Touches in a Row

[amykathleen2005 441]

So Wednesday and Thursday we received a touch on our case and nothing today. We are about a week past our projected VJ timeline. Do you think this is good news or nothing to get excited about?

[Dakine 26]

Definitely a good sign as at least you know they haven't lost your petition!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

So Wednesday and Thursday we received a touch on our case and nothing today. We are about a week past our projected VJ timeline. Do you think this is good news or nothing to get excited about?

My neioghbor is a superviosr at the VSC, and though she is notoriously closed mouthed about the internal procedures, she has talked with me about "touches". First, the typical, "clean" petition will never get a "touch" unless it is given to another adjudicator, which is rare. The file will come up for processing, be checked and approved in about 15 minutes. If you get a touch it means something was done with your file but it was not approved. Maybe something was not clear, maybe something needs to be verified, maybe the backgorund check system is down or the response was delayed. There are about 1000 things it could be.

Usually touches are benign, but it DOES mean someone is handling your file (finally) and something is moving. Some people have received approvals shortly thereafter, some have received RFEs, some have received AP while they do a manual name check. There is no way to say if it is "good or bad" except to say someone did something with it. It is out from under the table leg.

Also, bear in mind, the update system online is notoriuosly inaccurate. We never received a touch and our case is still listed as "pending" and my wife has been here more than one year.

[amykathleen2005 441]

Really? I have read multiple places that touches could occur when your petition is assigned to an adjudicator or moved. I don't see how either of those would be affected by the complexity of the case.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Really? I have read multiple places that touches could occur when your petition is assigned to an adjudicator or moved. I don't see how either of those would be affected by the complexity of the case.

They wouldn't be. You just added to the list of 1000 things a touch can be. In itself, it really means little or nothing. At VSC the cases are assigned to an adjudicator rather early in the process and do not receive a "touch" for that, usually. They do not usually get moved to another adjudicator. This is no indication that CSC does things the same way. Again, the system is so unreliable and the "touch" or update is so vague, nothing can be gained in the way of useful knowledge.

Anything anyone can tell you is a wild guess. There is no assuarance anyone else's experience applies to you.

[amykathleen2005 441]

Thanks for the info!

[Zip and Barbara 0]

The same thing happened for us. Touch on 16th and again on 17th. No change in status or any indication of real information. Their site is now updated and has niftly little circles to look at. Again, if there is little accuracy or reliability, then no amount of little circles or even a progress bar would mean a thing. All it seems to amount to is more waiting. It's hard to see cases with NOA1 all around your date getting approved when yours is not. The short of it is that you are certainly not alone in waiting for the government.

Edited September 19, 2009 by Zip and Barbara

[BrianandMerne 3]

We've two touches in a row since they received our petition and nothing after that. The next was simply the day after they supposedly sent our petition to NVC since they've already given approval. There was even one May 09 filer recently at CSC, I believe it was DaveandOksana, they never got a touch nor email. They just received their post mailed approval. The only good sign I can see about touches is that the paperwork is clearly not lost.

[amykathleen2005 441]

So it turns out that the first touch was our NOA2 approved!!!!